The present invention represents an improvement over valves used for dispensing food products, such as ice cream and frozen yogurt, etc., into a container so as to form a pattern in the finished, packaged product.
In dispensing these food products, it is desirable to be able to spin the container with respect to the food product as it is dispensed into the container. Spinning the container with respect to the food product is beneficial as it helps to insure uniform filling while eliminating voids in the package product.
Spinning the container with respect to the food product also create a swirled or variegated patterns using multiple food product types, flavors or colors (such as multiple ice cream flavors or syrups). Varied patterns are typically produced by introducing a syrup in the supply line before the filler valve. The mixing process is sometimes enhanced by an in-line powered variegater.
Such patterns are desirable to give the product an attractive appearance especially both through transparent or translucent containers, as well as to present an interesting or attractive pattern to the consumer as the food product is consumed. This is particularly true in the case of frozen food products such as ice cream and frozen yogurt products.
Spinning the container with respect to the food product helps to insure uniform filling while eliminating voids in the package product.
Large and small containers are spun by the filling machine during the time the container is under the filling valve. Large, slowly filling containers are not difficult to spin, but as the size of the container is reduced, or in the case of oddly-shaped containers (such as so-called "push-up" tubes and cones), problems arise. The container must be accelerated from a motionless state after they are indexed into the filling position under the filling valve, arid due to the short duration of the filling, it is nearly impossible to achieve a consistent pattern. Additionally, the area around the filling position is normally subjected to product spillage, and a small amount of spilled product (such as ice cream) can cause the container to slip in the spinning mechanism, instead of spinning. Cones are also very difficult to spin, and indeed, it is not known whether cones have ever successfully been spun for dispensing purposes.
Accordingly, it is desirable to be able to dispense a spun product typically in instances where spinning the container is not feasible.
The valve shown schematically in FIG. 1 was designed for the purpose of distributing a single food product such as a single flavor of ice cream into a number of outlet ports leading to filling valves or nozzles. It operated by having a motor turn a perforated disk which alternately opened and closed ports which led out of a circular chamber.
The valve shown schematically in FIG. 2 was developed to produce a unique variegated pattern in a cone product. The purpose of this valve type was to fill a cone with ice cream and syrup so as to produce the rippled appearance. It did not require the cone to be spinning while being filled. This valve used a method wherein the ice cream passed through a spinning nozzle having a star-shaped opening. The syrup was sprayed onto the surface of the ice cream as it passed through a range. When the star-shape flattened says the container is filled, a ripple pattern is produced.